Shoe upper assemblies

ABSTRACT

A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies wherein an outer and a lining of a shoe upper assembly are secured together by adhesive, with any reinforcement components which may be required therebetween, a marginal portion of the assembled outer and lining is skived, the skived marginal portion is folded to form a finished folded edge, which forms the top line of a finished shoe, and heat and pressure are then applied to the assembly to consolidate the bond between the various constituent parts of the assembly.

United States Patent Inventors Appl. No.

Filed Patented Assignee Raymond Charles White Souudwell;

lvor Evans, deceased, late of Union Works; Jwe Veronica Evans, administratrix, Cossington, all of, England Nov. 7, 1968 July 13, 197 1 Soundwell investments Limited Soundwell, Gloucestershire, England Priority Nov. 10, 1967 Great Britain SHOE UPPER ASSEMBLIES 13 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 12/146 Int. Cl A43d 00/00 Field of Search 12/142, 146

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,226,117 5/1917 Remick 2,193,355 3/1940 Gilbert 2,335,360 11/1943 Russell t 3,317,941 5/1967 Hanson Primary Examiner- Patrick D. Lawson Attorney-Larson, Taylor & Hinds ABSTRACT: A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies wherein an outer and a lining of a shoe upper assembly are secured together by adhesive, with any reinforcement components which may be required therebetween, a marginal portion of the assembled outer and lining is skived, the skived marginal portion is folded to form a finished folded edge, which forms the top line of a finished shoe, and heat and pressure are then applied to the assembly to consolidate the bond between the various constituent parts of the assembly.

SHOE UPPER ASSEMBLIES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to the manufacture of shoes. The word shoe" where used herein is used generically as indicating outer footwear generally and as including an article of outer footwear in the course of its manufacture.

In preparing a shoe upper assembly, in the manufacture of shoes, an outer is cut, e.g. from a sheet of leather and, if out in several components, is assembled, customarily by stitching but more recently in some cases by means of adhesive. Customarily the outer thus obtained is then skived along marginal portions thereof and such portions are then folded over, usually in a progressive folding operation, to provide a finished edge of neat appearance, which edge constitutes the top line of the finished shoe. Thereafter a lining previously cut is secured to the outer (if the shoe is to be lined) with the edge of the lining adjacent the finished edge of the outer and any reinforcement to be used is located between the outer and the lining.

It will thus be appreciated that to maintain a neat appearance in a lined shoe great accuracy has to be exercised both in the cutting of the lining and also in the location of the lining relative to the finished edge of the outer. Whereas mechanized cutting produces correctly cut linings provided the cutting die is satisfactory, the location of the lining relative to the outer requires skill and concentration on the part of the operator and the operation is thus very demanding and also time-consuming. If, however, accurate location is not achieved the appearance of the whole shoe is spoiled. In the marketing of shoes, especially ladies fashion shoes, however, the top line provides an important focal point for the prospective buyer, and thus it is most important that an attractive neat top line be achieved in the finished shoe.

It is one of the various objects of the present invention to provide an improved method of preparing shoe upper assemblies, which method is less time-consuming than has previously been the case and is less demanding on the operator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With this object in mind, the invention provides a method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly, skiving marginal portions of the outer and lining after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding the skived portions to form a finished folded edge, the skiving and folding being effected on those portions which provide in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished show. Should it be desired to provide the finished shoe with reinforcement at, for example, the toe end portion thereof, preferably the necessary reinforcement components are assembled with the outer and lining so as to be located therebetween before skiving and folding is effected as aforesaid.

In carrying out said method, preferably the lining is first coated all over one surface with a thermoplastic adhesive and the reinforcement components (if any) are also coated with a suitable adhesive so that the assembly of the various com ponents together is effected by adhesive. In addition the skived portions of the outer and lining, when folded are preferably secured in folded over condition by adhesive.

The skive formed on the marginal portions of the outer and lining is preferably "hollow, that is the skived marginal portion is generally concave, so that a wide portion in relation to the total width of the skive is of relatively thin cross section. The skive is further so formed that a groove is also provided extending along the skive and providing a line along which folding can take place.

In order to reinforce the finished edge a reinforcing tape may be applied to the lining before the lining is assembled with the outer.

When the various components have been assembled together as aforesaid, the assembly is preferably placed between pressure platens of a press connected to a high frequency electric source and the bond between the components is consolidated by the application of pressure and heat produced by a high frequency electric field established between said pressure platens.

In using a method as set out above it will thus be apparent that the importance of accurate location of the lining relative to the outer is substantially reduced, since any moderate inaccuracies in such location can be eliminated in the skiving operation which follows the assembly operation. Thus the operation of assembling the lining with the upper is rendered less demanding on the operator and also less time-consuming.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a shoe upper assembly during an initial stage of the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross section similar to FIG. 2 and showing the assembly at a later stage during the assembly.

FIG. 4 is a cross section similar to FIG. 2 and showing the completed upper assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT One method of preparing a shoe upper assembly in accordance with the invention will be hereinafter described in detail; it will of course be realized that this method has been selected for description to illustrate the invention by way of example and is not to be considered as a limitation of the invention.

In carrying out said one method in accordance with the invention an outer I, which is of leather or other suitable material, and a lining 2, which is of a fabric or synthetic material, e.g. a plastics foam material, are cut by die pressing or hand cutting. The outer may be whole cut or cut in several pieces which are then assembled together, either by stitching or adhesive. One surface of the lining, which is preferably a threequarter lining, is provided with an all over coating of thermoplastic material 7. Alternatively, the outer may be coated at 7; again alternatively adhesive other than thermoplastic may be used.

In carrying out said one method, there is attached to the lining, adjacent a marginal portion 5 thereof, a reinforcing tape 4 which will serve in the finished shoe to reinforce the top line. The tape is so attached to the lining that it will not be located at the extreme edge of the upper assembly when folded but rather be set slightly away therefrom. Alternatively the tape can be applied to the outer.

The outer and lining are then assembled together in a flat condition as best shown in FIG. 2 with a toe reinforcement component 3 (if one is to be used) disposed therebetween, care being taken to ensure that the top line marginal portions of the outer 1 and lining 2 are coincident within a relatively close limit and that in any event the lining does not overlap the outer (this being important since subsequent edge operations are controlled from the edge of the outer). The assembly of the components may be carried out using mechanical or other suitable locating means, e.g. jig pins. The components thus assembled are secured together by the adhesive coating 7 thereon. It will be apparent that accurate location of any jigged components can be readily achieved at this stage since neither the outer nor the lining has been subjected to any edge treatment (for example, a folding operation) which could introduce errors into the location thereof.

The shoe upper assembly thus formed'is then subjected to a skiving operation along marginal portions 1a and 2a thereof as shown in FIG. 3. The skive imparted to the assembly is preferably hollow", that is the surface of the skived portion is concave to provide a wide portion In and 2a in relation to the width of the skive of material of thin cross section and a steeply inclined portion 1c and 2c adjacent thereto. The thinness of the material is such that the skived portion is thereby rendered sufficiently stretchable that it does away with the need for notching (which is conventional in folded edges to enable folding to be effected around outside curves of the margin of the assembly) while being sufficiently compressible to avoid unsightly pleating on inside curves of the margin of the assembly.

Further the skived portion is preferably provided with a groove lb and 2b extending along the skive and located along a line on which folding is subsequently to take place.

The skived portions of the upper assembly are then presented to a conventional cementing and folding machine which folds the skived portions over and secures them thus folded by application of suitable adhesive 8, see FIG. 8 e.g. a thermoplastic adhesive. Care is exercised here to avoid the application of too much adhesive which could, by oozing out from the fold, spoil the appearance of the finished shoe. Preferably the adhesive is one based on a polyester resin.

When the folding operation has been thus effected, the shoe upper assembly, which is at this stage still in a flat condition, is placed between pressure platens of a press connected to a source of high frequency electricity and, while a high frequency electric field is established between said platens, pressure is applied to the assembly to consolidate the bond between the various components. Fold 6 is a visible edge in the finished shoe.

In the case of a so-called sling back" shoe the upper assembly is now completed and ready for lasting. In the case of a full back shoe on the other hand, a small portion of the folded top line has now to be unpiclted in the region of the backseam portions of quarter portions of the assembly and the backseam of the assembly is then closed in a conventional manner by stitching. In addition at this stage a heel end reinforcement component, preferably with a quarter lining fused thereto, is inserted into a so-called counter pocket between the outer and lining. When the backseam has been thus formed and the reinforcement component thus inserted, the topline portion previously unpicked is refolded and if desired the bond is once more consolidated on a conventional so-called bar welding machine. a

It has been found that the above method of preparing shoe upper assemblies is especially suitable for shoes having a relatively flimsy outer together with a relatively substantial lining, that is a shoe in which the main structural element is the lining while the outer provides the finished appearance. In such a shoe the folder over margin of the combined outer and lining is relatively narrow, being preferably about one-eighth of an inch wide; this has been found to give an especially pleasing appearance in the finished shoe.

The method above set out has further been found to be especially suited to a cemented shoe upper assembly prepared by a method the subject of U5. Pat. No. 3,397,418. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the preparation of a cemented shoe upper assembly.

Having thus described out invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of; securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly such that at least one edge of the outer and of the lining are approximately coincident with each other, skiving marginal portions of both the outer and the lining adjacent said at least one edge after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding over the skived portions at said at least one edge with the lining inside of the fold to form a finished folded edge, securing the finished fold in said folder condition, the said at least one edge being one which provides in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished shoe.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the outer and lining are secured together by adhesive.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the adhesive is thermoplastic.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein after the outer and lining have been secured together as aforesaid, heat and pressure are applied thereto to consolidate the bond therebetween.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein pressure is applied between pressure platens of a press, heat being produced by a high frequency electric field being established between said platens.

6. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly, skiving marginal portions of the outer and lining after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding the skived portions to form a finished folded edge, the skiving and folding being effected on those portions which provide in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished shoe, and wherein a reinforcement component is inserted between the outer and lining before they are secured together.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said component is secured in position relative to the outer and lining by means of adhesive.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein folding is effected by a cementing and folding machine in the operation of which the skived portions are folder over and secured in folded condition by adhesive.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein after folding has been effected as aforesaid, heat and pressure are applied to the assembled outer and lining to consolidate the bond at the folded edge thereof.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein pressure is applied between pressure platens of a press, heat being produced by a high frequency electric field being established between said platens.

11. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly, skiving marginal portions of the outer and lining after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding the skived portions to form a finished folded edge, the skiving and folding being efiected on those portions which provide in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished shoe, and wherein a reinforcing tape is inserted between the outer and lining before they are secured together, the tape being so located that in the finished shoe it is spaced apart by a small distance from the finished folded edge.

12. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly, skiving marginal portions of the outer and lining after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding the skived portions to form a finished folded edge, the skiving and folding being effected on those portions which provide in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished shoe, and wherein the surface of the skived portions is generally concave so that a wide portion, in relation to the width of the skive, is of relatively thin cross section.

13. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly, skiving marginal portions of the outer and lining after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding the skived portions to form a finished folded edge, the skiving and folding being effected on those portions which provide in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished shoe, and wherein the skived portions are provided with a groove extending along the skive, along which groove folding can subsequently be effected.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 Dated y 13 r 1971 Invenmfls) White. Ravmond C. Evans. Ivor bv Evans, Jose Veronica administratrix It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading, please delete as the assignee, "Soundwell Investments Limited of Soundwell, Gloucestershire, England" and substitute therefor -Duo International Inc., Lynnfield,

Massachusetts.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of February I972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHEH, JR. ROBERT GOTTSGHALK Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer FORM PO-1 USCOMM-DC scans-ps9 U 5 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I969 O3G6'33l 

1. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of; securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly such that at least one edge of the outer and of the lining are approximately coincident with each other, skiving marginal portions of both the outer and the lining adjacent said at least one edge after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding over the skived portions at said at least one edge with the lining inside of the fold to form a finished folded edge, securing the finished fold in said folder condition, the said at least one edge being one which provides in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished shoe.
 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the outer and lining are secured together by adhesive.
 3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the adhesive is thermoplastic.
 4. A method according to claim 3 wherein after the outer and lining have been secured together as aforesaid, heat and pressure are applied thereto to consolidate the bond therebetween.
 5. A method according to claim 4 wherein pressure is applied between pressure platens of a press, heat being produced by a high frequency electric field being established between said platens.
 6. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly, skiving marginal portions of the outer and lining after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding the skived portions to form a finished folded edge, the skiving and folding being effected on those portions which provide in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished shoe, and wherein a reinforcement component is inserted between the outer and lining before they are secured together.
 7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said component is secured in position relative to the outer and lining by means of adhesive.
 8. A method according to claim 1 wherein folding is effected by a cementing and folding machine in the operation of which the skived portions are folder over and secured in folded condition by adhesive.
 9. A method according to claim 8 wherein after folding has been effected as aforesaid, heat and pressure are applied to the assembled outer and lining to consolidate the bond at the folded edge thereof.
 10. A method according to claim 9 wherein pressure is applied between pressure platens of a press, heat being produced by a high frequency electric field being established between said platens.
 11. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly, skiving marginal portions of the outer and lining after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding the skived portions to form a finished folded edge, the skiving and folding being effected on those portions which provide in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished shoe, and wherein a reinforcing tape is inserted between the outer and lining before they are secured together, the tape being so located that in the finished shoe it is spaced apart by a small distance from the finished folded edge.
 12. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly, skiving marginal portions of the outer and lining after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding the skived portions to form a finished folded edge, the skiving and folding being effected on those portions which provide in the shoe upper assembly an edge whIch is exposed to view in the finished shoe, and wherein the surface of the skived portions is generally concave so that a wide portion, in relation to the width of the skive, is of relatively thin cross section.
 13. A method of preparing shoe upper assemblies comprising the steps of securing together an outer and a lining of an upper assembly, skiving marginal portions of the outer and lining after they have been secured together, and thereafter folding the skived portions to form a finished folded edge, the skiving and folding being effected on those portions which provide in the shoe upper assembly an edge which is exposed to view in the finished shoe, and wherein the skived portions are provided with a groove extending along the skive, along which groove folding can subsequently be effected. 